


The Boy Next Door

by domesticmarkjin



Category: GOT7
Genre: Bottom Mark - Freeform, Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweethearts, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, M/M, Short One Shot, Top Jinyoung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:56:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26946307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/domesticmarkjin/pseuds/domesticmarkjin
Summary: An unfortunate misunderstanding leads Jinyoung to make the biggest mistake of his life. Ten years after breaking the heart of the adorable boy next door, fate would bring them back together. But nothing is ever that easy, is it? Hopefully, they can make it work.
Relationships: Choi Youngjae/Im Jaebum | JB, Park Jinyoung/Mark Tuan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 89





	The Boy Next Door

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this little one-shot quite a few months ago and totally forgot about it. It's just a cute little markjin drab. I figured I would post it so it wasn't just sitting in my documents waiting. I kind of didn't know where to leave it off, but if you guys want a part two or whatever just let me know.

"Nyoungie, will you love me forever?"

"Of course I will, babe. You're mine forever." 

"That means we are going to get married, right?."

"Sure, whatever you want. Now shh, the movie's starting."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mark remembers a lot from his childhood, but most of all, he remembers his first and only love. Jinyoung was a constant in his life since the day he moved in the week before his 7th birthday. They quickly became a package duo. Since Jinyoung and his family moved in next door, it was easy for Mark to sneak over and spend time with Jinyoung. Mark remembers sneaking into their house through Jinyoung's window in the middle of the night and snuggling up close to him. Mark remembers how Jinyoung would always lift the covers for Mark to join him and pretend not to notice when Mark kissed his nose good night. He remembers following him and his friends around on his bike, always wanting to hang out with him, and how Jinyoung always gave in and said yes even though Mark was four years younger. His friends always gave Jinyoung a hard time about having him there, but Jinyoung never seemed to care. 

To Jinyoung, it was a perfect friendship.

For Mark, it was true love.

If you had asked Mark, there was no other for him. It was always Jinyoung. He would tell his mother all the time that they were going to get married. She would just smile and nod at her son, telling him she couldn't wait for the day. Jinyoung was clueless, though. Clueless about how Mark had always felt for him. Sure, he’d played along and told Mark he loved him. Truth be told, he did actually love him, but between their age difference and society standard when it came to that sort of thing, he never really allowed himself to indulge in those thoughts. 

He knew that he felt safe with Mark and that the younger had made him happier than most. Was that love? No, it couldn’t be… could it? What they had was just friendship, right? They were only ever just friends, close friends. He decided the only way to be normal and get over that voice in the back of his head was to finally give in to the girl at school who’d confessed her feelings to him. He didn’t care for her, but she was kind. She was safe.

The worst day of Mark's young life was around the age of 11. He had been bullied pretty badly at school and ran as fast as he could home to try and find Jinyoung for comfort. Tears in his eyes, he rushed right past his house and next door to Jinyoung's bedroom window, stepping up on the little set of boxes they had piled up over the years to make it easier for Mark to climb in. When he looked through the window, he saw Jinyoung sprawled out on his bed, kissing a girl he'd never seen before. His heart shattered into a million pieces at the realization that Jinyoung would never indeed be his the way Mark wanted him to. It just confirmed for him what he'd tried to ignore this whole time, that Jinyoung only ever saw him as a little brother, and nothing more.

Mark spent the week crying himself to sleep, refusing to see or hang out with Jinyoung, who came over several times to check up on his friend. Mark's mother eventually spilled that his little heart was broken, and it would probably be best if Jinyoung left him alone. Jinyoung felt confused, always having figured that Mark was just a loving, affectionate kid but that he was never serious about his real crush on Jinyoung. 

Jinyoung didn’t want to admit that he was just blinded to what was in front of him all along.

Mark would never forget the last day he saw Jinyoung, the day before Jinyoung left for university. He'd be moving to Seoul in the morning. Mark couldn't face the news and had left as soon as it was light out. Not knowing where to go, he decided on a park nearby that had a small little playground. It was a favorite spot of theirs to go, having spent many rainy days curled up together under the slide playing on their handheld gaming devices. Mark crawled under the slide and started to cry, pulling tighter the hoodie he'd stolen from Jinyoung several months earlier. It didn't smell like him anymore, but that didn't stop him from wearing it as often as he could. When Jinyoung woke up, he went straight to Mark’s house to say goodbye. When Mark’s mother told Jinyoung that he had run off, Jinyoung started to look everywhere for him, running to all the places they'd used to hang out until he found him—sitting under the slide, red-faced and sniffling. His heart broke at the sight before him, and it wasn't until then that he genuinely understood what Mark's mother had meant all those years ago.

Mark really had been in love with him back then and was still in love with him now.

Cautiously he walked over to Mark; hands slid deep into his pockets, looking down at the young boy. Mark looked over to see who had come close before he whimpered, pushing his face down between his legs to avoid Jinyoung seeing him.

"I gotta leave in a few hours. Do I at least get a hug goodbye?" Jinyoung frowned, bending down to better see Mark.

"No." Mark mumbled, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"Why not? You always give me hugs." Jinyoung frowned, moving to sit next to Mark carefully.

"Because you're leaving, you promised me you'd never leave me. That you'd stay, and we'd get married…" Mark sniffled, wiping his eyes on his sleeves. Jinyoung sighed, looking down at his shoes. For the last seven years, it was true that had been their thing, but Jinyoung never understood the weight of his words until now. Sitting here under the slide with Mark seeing the visible devastation on his face. 

"I'm just going to university. I won't be gone forever. Hey, no more crying, please?" Jinyoung moved his body, trying to get Mark to untangle himself.

"You lied to me, Nyoungie! You lied about leaving! It was supposed to be you and I, always." Mark looked up at Jinyoung hurt, and the sight of Mark's face made Jinyoung's heart feel as if something had pierced straight through it. His eyes were wide with worry.

"I never lied, I just… I thought you knew. I have a girlfriend, Mark." Jinyoung felt almost ashamed to admit it. Like having a girlfriend was a big secret he never wanted Mark to find out about. Why he was scared, he had no idea. He was 18, and Mark was 13. He deserved to be happy and do things that boy's going through puberty wanted to do, right?

"Girl… girlfriend. You never said she was a real girlfriend. You always said you two were just friends." Mark said, his face going pale as he studied Jinyoung's face.

"Mark…" Jinyoung felt his heart start to race. The look on Mark's face was something he'd only seen once before, and he swore he never wanted to see it again.

Without a second thought, Mark got up and ran off, Jinyoung tried to scramble to his feet, but Mark had always been fantastic at running. Mark ran as fast as he could, and as far as he could until he felt like his lungs were going to burst. Jinyoung tried to keep up the best he could, having to slow to a stop as he watched Mark turn the corner and vanished. Tears pricked at the corners of Jinyoung's eyes as he hung his head.

"I'm sorry." Jinyoung sighed, taking a moment to catch his breath before he started back for their house. His heart weighed heavy in his chest. Jinyoung knew he wouldn't see Mark again before he left. He only hoped that it wouldn't be the last time they ever saw each other.

Jinyoung had a lot to think about on his walk home. Why hadn’t he ever told Mark that he made things official with his girlfriend, and why did he suddenly feel like he made the biggest mistake of his life? He knew that things between him and Mark were different, but he wasn’t like that, was he? He played over so many situations they’d gone through together, so many things they’d done together. By the time he got home, he was more confused than ever. 

Hours later, he had loaded the last of his things into the back of his car and looked over towards Mark’s house. He could see Mark’s window from his driveway, but the curtain was closed. Jinyoung sighed as he got into the car, taking a moment to make sure he had everything before driving off to the train station. Jinyoung didn’t look back, no matter the uneasy feeling in his chest. This move was a new start for him.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last ten years felt like an actual blur to Jinyoung. He went to college, kept dating the same girl, and eventually, they got married. Jinyoung then felt an instant regret as soon as the honeymoon was over. Once they were done with school, the two of them moved back to her hometown since she claimed she just needed to be closer to her family. Jinyoung had hoped that a wedding would make things better between them. It did not. Jinyoung wound up getting a job at a local paper. She worked as a history teacher at the nearby elementary school. Things were okay, which was how they had always seemed to be. Never really happy, never really exciting, stuck going one speed down a boring road. It took them only a few more years before everything came crashing down. Jinyoung promptly filed for a divorce when he had come home from work early to find his wife in bed with his old roommate. After all was said and done, he knew that a change was needed. Not a little one. A drastic change. Maybe moving back to Seoul was the best idea. Moving back home was not an option. Not only because he didn’t see many job opportunities, but because of what had happened between him and Mark. Jinyoung had always felt regretful about breaking his heart that day. The way Mark looked at him that last time, he’d never before seen such heartbreak in a person and knew that he’d been the cause. Ten years had gone by, and he thought about Mark from time to time. Mostly at night when he felt lonely and wondered if Mark was somewhere doing okay. If he'd ever found love, moved on, gotten into a good university. Jinyoung had found out through his parents that Mark’s family had moved back to Taiwan. Did he go with them? Jinyoung felt a little sadness every time he thought of that, Mark thriving so far away, no doubt loved by everyone that laid eyes on him.

Jinyoung tried not to think about it. 

With the divorce papers hot off the press, he packed up his life and moved back to Seoul. Jinyoung settled down in a modest flat that was annoyingly dull and started working on the book he had been telling himself for years he was going to write. Thankfully the apartment was a corner unit, meaning he had beautiful light each morning and a lovely view to use for inspiration. Another selling point was that the person who lived next door was quiet, very quiet. That or they were never home. It seemed that whenever Jinyoung was leaving, the person next to him was coming, and shortly after he got home, someone would go to leave. 

Perhaps they were someone with an overnight job? 

Either way, he never saw who it was but found it humorous that they always just missed each other—oddly fitting. That should have been the title of his autobiography. Truth be told, it wasn’t his business. He had his own life to figure out now that he was officially single for the first time since high school and had done very little with his degree or life. He'd majored in language and literature in school and got offered a job as a head editor for a local publishing company just outside of Yongsan. The pay was outstanding, and the hours were good, but something in his life felt lacking.

Wanting to get out and get a change of scenery, Jinyoung decided to call up an old friend from school and see if he was around. Jackson had always been a ball of energy, pushing him to try new things and go to new places. He never liked Jinyoung's ex-wife, which was probably why they stopped talking after the wedding. With the news that he was back in town and single, Jackson sent him the address to a bar and told him he would meet him around 11.

That was a little late to be going out, but this was Seoul. The clubs didn't even open before 10, so in all honesty, 11 was probably early for that scene. According to Jackson, the place they were going to didn’t have a dress code, but it was recommended you dress nicely, and because it was close to Halloween, he should wear a mask or something fun. He didn't know what he was getting himself into, but he went along with it. He didn't have a mask, but he knew there would be a costume shop along the way where he could easily pick one up.

Jinyoung left his house a little after 10:30, and by the time he'd picked out a mask and arrived at the club, it was 11:10. Jackson was waiting outside, his once-vibrant blond hair now a natural shade of brown. Jinyoung never thought he would see the day. The two old friends embraced, and it was as if no time had passed them at all. They talked the whole time on the line catching up about where the last few years had taken them. Jackson had apparently tried out a serious relationship once and ended it about two years later. Jinyoung commented about his divorce and how he was actually ready to start having fun. Those words seemed to give Jackson a new life.

The bar wasn’t as packed as Jinyoung thought it was going to be. The line outside was misleading, but that might have been for a good reason. Once past security, they made their way to the bar and ordered a drink, the first of the night. Jinyoung didn’t see anyone that caught his eye, but he noticed a few people checking him out. A few girls, though none of them seemed to strike his interest, and a handful of men. Once it started getting packed to an annoying point, Jackson suggested they head to the club down the street to go dancing. Not big on dancing, Jinyoung thought it over as he downed the rest of his beer before reluctantly agreeing.

By the time they got inside the next club and passed the check-in point, it was nearing 1 am. Jinyoung had felt tired outside, but the thumping music and flashing lights woke him up as soon as they walked through the main doors. The club was a typical EDM club: dark colors, bright lights, and loud music. There were booths laid out on either side of the room with small tables along the middle section. The floor was an annoying black and white checkered pattern that seemed to be covered with napkins. Jinyoung never understood the napkin thing. The main area broke off into two dance floors. One averaged sized floor with a lower ceiling next to the DJ and one in a slightly bigger room off to the side. Everyone was dressed in some sort of costume. Some went all out. Some wore a mask as Jinyoung had. He was never big on holidays, and Halloween was no exception. Couples were happily dancing on the main floor or tucked away in the booths enjoying bottles after bottles of alcohol. Single people bopped along on the outskirts waiting for their time to swoop in and snag any group of single girls or guys that made their way to the floor.

Jinyoung felt silly being there for a moment. A newly divorced older adult who'd slept with one person his whole life. The bar was fine, nobody there intended to get laid, but the clubs were a whole new story. He was contemplating leaving when he spotted someone from across the room that caught his eye. On the opposite end of the dance floor was a metal cage that people could get into for fun. A guy was currently dancing inside of it that captured Jinyoung’s attention. A shirtless guy with a set of angel wings strapped to his back. Half of his face was covered in a white glitter mask that went well with his silverish hair. Jinyoung felt drawn to this boy for some reason. He wasn't gay by any means, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with sleeping with men. For a moment, his mind went to Mark, knowing that if given the opportunity, he’d have probably experimented with him. Jinyoung considered himself to be experimental, or at least was open to the idea. Even if he'd never gone as far as actually to hook up with a guy before, not that he had many chances, he married the first girl that ever touched his dick. 

He wanted to go over there and talk to the boy, but he was scared. Maybe a few drinks would help him feel more courageous. Dragging Jackson over to the bar, they made good use of their one free drink coupon, which was really just a shot off a list of lower end liquors, before buying themselves a second drink. Jinyoung had half of it finished before looking back over to see if the boy was still in the cage. He was.

"Talk to him!" Jackson nudged Jinyoung.

"Who?" Jinyoung leaned in closer, doing his best to hear Jackson over the thundering music.

"The boy you've been staring at since we walked in the door. I think he's looking at you too." Jackson smirked, grabbing his drink before he took Jinyoung's hand. Jinyoung tried to protest, grabbing his drink off the counter before moving over towards the cage the boy was dancing in.

It seemed a few others wanted this boy's attention, but he paid them no mind. He simply enjoyed himself. His body moved to the beat as his wings hit against the sides of the cage. Jinyoung let their eyes meet a few times before he turned his back to the boy, finishing the rest of his drink. For some reason, he felt like there were eyes on him, but he didn’t have it in him to turn around. Instead, Jinyoung just moved along to the music alongside Jackson. Happy to survey the room and see if there was an innocent-looking girl that would want to dance.

Someone safe. Someone not half-naked and covered in glitter. 

When he felt a tap on his shoulder, Jinyoung turned around; it seemed the boy in the cage had finally come out. For some reason, Jinyoung got nervous. Jinyoung could feel his mouth run dry as he looked the other up and down. He got a good full look at his body. His torso was covered in glitter, and the jeans he wore left almost nothing up to the imagination. Jinyoung tried to stutter something out, but all he managed was motioning with his hands. 

"Drink?"

"Sure." The boy answered. Jinyoung let out a nervous laugh before he left to head to the bar. The boy with the wings followed close behind him.

Jinyoung knew that this night was now going to end one of two ways. Either he would be awkward enough to a point where this poor boy would get scared away and find someone far more interesting, or he would actually pull on his big boy pants and take someone home for some fun.

When he finally got the bartender's attention, Jinyoung ordered them two new drinks—paying for both of them before he handed the fresh drink over to his mystery man. The man smiled, fixing his mask so that it sat better on his face before he took a long sip of the drink Jinyoung had bought him. Humming in appreciation, Jinyoung felt happy he’d ordered something he liked without even knowing the guy.

"You're nervous." The boy stated, and Jinyoung looked down, nodding his head. Had he’d been so obvious?

"Don't be. I promise I'll never fall in love with you. This night can be as casual as you’d like handsome." The boy laughed, taking a sip of the drink. Curious to his words, Jinyoung leaned in closer to hear him over the music better.

"And what makes you so sure of that? That you won’t fall in love with me?" Jinyoung asked, cocking his head to the side. The boy shrugged, looking up at Jinyoung. He couldn't see his face through the mask, but something about him felt so familiar. Something about this guy was so enticing to him.

"I don't do love. Had my heart broken beyond repair once, a long time ago, not worth going through that pain again. If you want to have fun, then I'm your guy, but I promise it won't be more than that." He said, and Jinyoung thought that sounded like exactly what he needed.

"I just got divorced… like less than a month ago. I don't need love right now." Jinyoung said, keeping close so the boy could hear him over the music.

“Divorced? Someone was stupid enough to let someone that looks like you back out into the dating world? Either they don’t have their head on the right way, or you got some weird kinks, buddy.” The guy laughed, and Jinyoung could only smirk. He was a pretty kinky person sexually or at least wanted to be. His wife was never into the fun stuff. Maybe that’s why he stopped sleeping with her.

“A little of both, I guess.” Jinyoung laughed, taking a long sip of his drink.

"Perfect.” The stranger said. His eyes fixed on Jinyoung’s face.

“For the record, I think anyone dumb enough to break your heart is a fucking joke. I don't even need to see your face to know you're gorgeous. You’re better off without them." Jinyoung said. Jinyoung didn't know if it was the first drink or the second one that made him so bold as to talk to a total stranger like that, but it didn't seem to be a bad thing.

"Yeah, well, you never forget your first love, right?" The man laughed, and Jinyoung nodded. He would drink to that. He didn’t know why Mark’s face popped into his head, but he was quick to shake it off. Finishing his drink quicker than usual, Jinyoung decided that there had been enough talking. He grabbed the others hand and led him to the middle of the dance floor.

The dance floor was significantly more packed now than it had been before they went to the bar. Since it was later, more and more people were leaving the bars and headed for the clubs. It meant the two of them had to get closer while dancing, not that Jinyoung minded. His hands stayed to himself for less than half a song before they found themselves on the boy's hips, drawing his body closer. The two of them danced as if they had been doing this for ages, a practiced rhythm that had Jinyoung wondering just what else those hips could do.

"Do I get to know your name?" Jinyoung finally asked, hands sliding around to the others lower back tangling together at the base right above his jeans. The masked man simply shrugged in response.

"Does it matter? I can be whoever. Tonight I feel like being Mark, tomorrow who knows." He said, and honestly, it didn't matter.

Jinyoung didn't ask again. He just got lost in the music and allowed their bodies to come even closer together. Despite how many people were around them, it was easy to pay attention to the boy next to him. Song after song, they moved together until they found themselves inching closer and closer to the wall. One thing led to another, and the dancing had altogether stopped. Jinyoung found his lips attached to Mark’s own in a kiss that he never wanted to end. Despite the faint taste of alcohol on his tongue, he tasted something sweet and spicy mixed in there. An addictive taste that Jinyoung wanted to spend the rest of his evening exploring. His lips were so full and soft, like clouds almost that lulled Jinyoung into a sense of comfort that he never knew a kiss could manage. 

He’d always been a big fan of kissing. Jinyoung loved the diversity of it. Kissing could be a simple hello, the start of something more, or words when there were no actual words. This kiss seemed like one of those times. Both of them had gone through unhappy circumstances when it came to dating, so perhaps just for the night, they could be everything that they needed to be. 

He probably would have stayed rooted right there all night until he heard a name being called in the distance. It sounded like it was being directed at them. Jinyoung pulled back from the kiss to look up as a taller boy dressed like a slutty nurse moved through some people to get to them.

"Mark!" again the boy yelled, seemingly unphased that he was interrupting them. Jinyoung would have been way more upset if it hadn't dawned on him that the name Mark picked was his actual name.

Mark.

Well, not his Mark. It couldn't be that Mark... right? There were probably tons of Asians named Mark in South Korea.

"I'm busy." Mark said, turning to his friend, signaling for him to leave. 

“You’ve been busy.” The new boy said, giving Mark a curious glance. It seemed that Mark sticking to one person wasn’t normal behavior.

He would generally bounce from boy to boy for the first few hours until he found one worthy of bending over in the bathrooms. Then he’d go back out onto the dance floor and start the process all over again until he found one that would take him to one of those pay by the hour hotel. It was rare he would stick with the first set of lips he kissed. This was different, though. It felt different. There was this mystery, maybe it was the masks, but something had Mark needing to take his time and enjoy this one.

"I can see that, but they are giving away free shots at the bar." The boy said, and Jinyoung wished he would just get the hint and leave.

"I got a free drink already." Mark wasn't having it, maybe because the kiss was that amazing and he wanted more. The boy looked a little surprised that Mark was turning it down. Mark decided that he’d spent enough time with his lips not doing something, and took Jinyoung’s hand to lead him towards the bathrooms.

Jinyoung knew precisely what was coming when they walked through the doors. The music was drowned out slightly as soon as the door shut behind them, leaving a dull ringing in Jinyoung's ears now that they weren’t so assaulted with a constant bass. There was one stall already in use, and one left open. Jinyoung decided to be the bold one and moved right into the stall, pulling Mark along with him before locking the door. 

"It's rare for me to like the first guy I meet. You must be something special." Mark smirked, pressing his body back up against Jinyoung's diving right in for another kiss.

Jinyoung had no intention of protesting another kiss or carrying on a pointless conversation. Instead, he picked back up where they left off. Their tongues slid together as if they'd missed each other. Their hands started getting bold, pushing along every body part they could reach. Grabbing in places and rubbing in others enough to get them both hot and bothered. Jinyoung suddenly became acutely aware of how small the bathroom stall was when he felt his body start to react, and he wasn't able to hide it. The pants he had on did nothing for him. If he was in his jeans, sure, he could hide his erection. But these were not denim, and he was painfully aware of how hard he was as it pressed against Mark's hip. Thankfully, Mark seemed to be having the same problem. This led to Mark’s hands wandering a bit further south to feel what was going on between the two of them. He'd never touched another man's cock before, and the thought of doing so for the first time in a dirty club bathroom had a certain excitement to it.

"Do I get to know your name so I can moan it later?" Mark asked, pulling from the kiss to get a good look at Jinyoung's face. Forgetting how to speak for a moment, Jinyoung stuttered out before he simply laughed.

"Jinyoung, you can call me Jinyoung." He said, shaking some of his hair away from his mask.

"How ironic." Mark laughed, leaning up to bite at Jinyoung's lower lip playfully.

"Why's that?" Jinyoung asked, pressing a kiss to Mark's lips in return.

"Because the man I’m in here trying to forget was named Jinyoung." Mark shrugged, reaching up to play with the tie around Jinyoung's neck. Jinyoung raised an eyebrow. 

It couldn't be, could it?

About to see if his suspicions were real, Jinyoung was cut off again by a very drunk person pounding on the stall door. Yelling something about it was too early to be fucking, and how some people had to pee. Jinyoung could only laugh and roll his eyes, turning to Mark to see what he wanted to do.

"What do you say we find us another quiet place?" Jinyoung asked, hooking his fingers in the band of Mark's pants before he nodded towards the bathroom exit. Mark seemed fine with the idea, following Jinyoung's lead as they made their way out to the main area. Jinyoung didn’t think they were gone for that long, but the main dance floor was so full of people now it was almost hard to move around. 

"There you are!" Jackson yelled, rushing over to Jinyoung once he was back out in the open, smiling at his friend's new toy before he nudged his side.

“And you found a friend, having fun?” Jackson asked in a sing-song, Jinyoung made a mental note to get less embarrassing friends.

"I think we're going to head out." Jinyoung added, moving to take Mark's hand just to be sure he didn't get away.

"Nice, I don't think I have to tell you twice about being safe, do I? We can have that talk..." Jackson cracked up when Jinyoung poked him hard in the chest to get him to stop talking.

"That's enough out of you. I'll text you in the morning." Jinyoung said, moving away to lead Mark out of the club and up onto the streets. 

It was crazy the number of people that were out at such a late hour. Jinyoung watched both foreigners and locals take over Itaweon's streets as if it were a typical day. Maybe it was a typical day for this scene. He honestly had no idea about the clubbing world. He was starting to see the appeal now. Thankfully tonight wasn't that cold, enough to sober Jinyoung up a little once the fresh air hit his face. He'd never had a one night stand before, so this was new territory for him. Mark looked in either direction to figure out where they were before he nodded to Jinyoung to follow; he grabbed his hand and guided him down the street away from the giant crowd lingering outside the buildings. 

Not far away, there was a smaller park with a few couples sitting around on benches talking. The park led into a small wooded section that came out around the back of several other buildings. Jinyoung always loved the random parks that were scattered around Korea. A fun nod to the beauty of nature among the iron buildings that covered the city. He was sure that wasn’t how Mark saw it. No doubt in his mind that it was just a convenient place to hook up without lingering eyes watching you. How many people had Mark taken here before him? 

It was probably best he didn’t think about it.

"You seem nervous." Mark said, stopping Jinyoung. He turned to the taller male, soothing his hand over his chest.

"It's been a long time for me." Jinyoung laughed, drawing Mark closer by his hips.

"Well... I can't say the same for me, but I don't know why you’ve gone so long. I can't even see your face, and I can already tell you're probably the most attractive guy I'll be with this month. Easily." Mark teased, cracking up when Jinyoung pushed him playfully. Mark just curled back against him, fingers reaching up to tease along the edge of his mask.

"Do you want to know what I look like?" Jinyoung asked, reaching up to still Mark's hand, preventing him from pushing the mask off.

"I don't think it matters either way, but I can't help but be curious." Mark smirked, letting his hand fall back down to Jinyoung's chest as he surged up for a kiss. Jinyoung was happy to kiss him again, hands sliding down and around Mark's backside, gripping at his ass to draw him closer.

"I think we should leave them on. What if I'm so handsome you fall in love with me? We can't have that if this is going to be the only time I can enjoy you." Jinyoung smirked, peppering Mark's exposed face with soft kisses before he looked around them.

"You have a lot of faith in your looks? I already told you I don’t do love." Mark gasped, unable to hold back a playful laugh.

"That or I don't want to scare you away." Jinyoung laughed at himself, self-deprecation the best type of humor.

"If that's the case, then we will keep them on. It lets us be anyone tonight. You can picture me as whoever you want. I can picture you as whoever." Mark purred, leaning up to kiss at Jinyoung's jawline, moving his lips down his neck. He found the sweet spot just above his collar bones. He was leaving little nips and kisses along the pale skin.

"Interesting. I wonder who you'd picture." Jinyoung smirked, moving the two of them through a little thicket to a more secluded spot. There weren’t many people around; however, this wasn't the type of attention he wanted out in the open.

It was clear this wasn't going to happen in a bed, which was probably for the better. An intimate setting would make this mean more, and it was clear to Jinyoung that Mark had no intention of it happening again. He decided to take his time, feeling along Mark's body, glitter getting all over him as they kissed. It was a shame that someone had broken Mark’s heart. He seemed like someone that could make the best lover.

Jinyoung had on more clothes than Mark did, but that didn't seem to bother him. It was easy enough getting his pants pushed down enough to grant Mark access to what he wanted—cupping at Jinyoung’s erection over his pants no longer sufficient for the angel. Jinyoung slid the wings off him, giving them more privacy. The wings fell to the floor nearby as they moved further into the trees. Jinyoung made sure they were completely hidden.

Jinyoung felt himself be pushed up against a tree as Mark sank to his knees. The sight alone was something out of this world. Mark was peppering kisses along Jinyoung's erection with his soft full lips. Jinyoung slid a hand around to the back of Mark's hair, tangling with the strands not connected to his mask's tie. It was impressive they were able to keep them on, and he had to admit that curiosity was getting the better of him. Still, when a man was this close to his cock, he decided not to ruin the moment.

"You look so good on your knees." Jinyoung smirked, using his hand to encourage Mark further. His free hand slid to the base of his cock, moving it to be better aimed at those pretty lips. Mark took the hint but took his time. Tongue sliding out to lick along the slit collecting the small beads of precum, licking over his lips. Mark smirked before finally wrapping his lips around the tips as a whole. 

Mark's head and tongue worked in tandem as he slid along Jinyoung's length with an impressive perfection. There was a skill there that probably took a long time to perfect. Jinyoung didn't even want to think about what number hookup he was to Mark. It would only ruin the fantasy. 

For some reason, halfway through Mark's motions, Jinyoung could have sworn he heard him moan out a word he hadn't heard in a long time. If he weren't so enamored by the feel of Mark's lips sliding along his cock, he probably would have been more alarmed. Did he moan 'Nyoungie' around his cock, or did Jinyoung imagine things?

It wasn't until Mark pulled off with a lewd pop did Jinyoung snap back to reality and looked down. A small strand of spit connected the tip of his cock and the tip of Mark's lips. The perfect set of lips swollen and bruised shades of pink and purple from how hard they worked.

"You taste so fucking amazing. I'm tempted to stop. Tease both of us." Mark smirked, licking along the tip again that caused Jinyoung to whimper out in protest.

"Why would you ever stop." Jinyoung groaned. Fingers curled more into Mark's hair, so he was looking up at him. Mark just smirked, letting the tip of Jinyoung's cock slide along his lips before he pressed a soft kiss to the tip.

"Because this feels like a dream, and if I finish, that means it's over, right? There is something about you..." Mark whispered.

"I don’t want it to be over. Are you sure you only do one night stands?” Jinyoung couldn’t help but laugh. Not that he needed to dive into anything right now, but Mark had made him feel better in the last 4 minutes than his wife had been able to do in their entire marriage.

“Sorry, that’s the rule. Then again, if you don’t finish, then technically it’s not over… right? Which means if we keep hooking up but neither of us cum…” Mark smirked, sitting back on his heels, allowing Jinyoung to see him better.

“Then, our first time is not technically over, and we can keep it up until one of us finally finishes.” Jinyoung was getting the idea. It seemed to go against everything that Mark stood for, but Jinyoung wasn’t going to bring that up.

“Is it bad that I really want to see your face?” Mark asked, tucking Jinyoung back into his pants as he got to his feet, stepping closer to look at Jinyoung’s face. Jinyoung groaned at his cock, still being hard and now neglected.

“No, but wouldn’t that ruin the fun?” Jinyoung asked. He gave himself a minute to calm down, reaching out for Mark’s hips to draw him closer.

“Those eyes…” Mark said softly, his eyes studied Jinyoung’s face.

“You called me something earlier… I assume you imagined that I was someone else. What did you say, what was that name?” Jinyoung asked, his hand coming up to lift Mark’s chin.

“It was stupid; your name just reminds me of something. Someone.” Mark laughed, swatting Jinyoung’s hand away.

“Say it. I just want to hear you say it…” Jinyoung said, dropping his hand down to take Mark’s own in his. He could imagine, just for a second, that it was ten years ago, right? Before he made a giant mistake. Before he hurt the only person that ever loved him.

“It’s nothing… really. Just something stupid.” Mark blushed behind his mask, laughing to himself before he chewed at his lower lip.

“Nothing is stupid.” Jinyoung said, licking over his lips.

“N’youngie…” Mark shrugged, laughing lightly to play it off.

“There is no way there is physically no way.” Jinyoung mumbled under his breath, reaching out to the back of his mask to undo the small tie. He let the silk fall to the side as he carefully removed the mask from his face, shaking his hair out of his eyes before he looked at Mark.

“N’youngie…No. No, no, no, this can’t be. You can’t be. This isn’t. No.” Mark whimpered, taking a step back, nearly tripping over some brush nearby.

Jinyoung reached out to stop him from falling only to be met with a hard shove away. Mark scrambled to stay upright before he put a considerable distance between the two of them.

“This can’t be fucking happening. No. You can’t be!” Mark moved his hands up, undoing the ties of his mask to pull it from his face. He pushed his hair back from his face. It didn’t matter how many years went by. Mark was still Mark. Jinyoung knew that face better than most people.

Ten years changed a person. Jinyoung looked older, but Mark was grown. No longer was the adorable yet awkward boy he once knew. Mark was a full man. He’d aged better than Jinyoung could have ever imagined. He was built, he was gorgeous, he was here. It was actually him. Jinyoung then quickly remembered that Mark had been giving him a blowjob less than five minutes ago and gasped. His hands came up to cover his mouth.

“No fucking way! Mark! Mark Tuan! I thought you moved back to Taiwan with your family!” Jinyoung was in shock, taking a step closer, but Mark only took a step back.

“What does it matter, wait, hold up. You told me you got a divorce… you were married?” Mark asked, and Jinyoung didn’t know why that was being brought up. He just looked down, frowning some before he kicked around at the fallen leaves that scattered the ground.

“Yeah, well, I realized when you marry someone you don’t love, that doesn’t love you back, it shouldn’t continue much longer. She cheated on me, and I didn’t care? But if I loved her, I should care. So I filed for a divorce and moved.” Jinyoung looked up at Mark, not that he had to explain himself. 

That’s when it hit him.

“Hold on. You said you don’t do love. That your heart was broken by the first man you ever loved, you can’t mean me! There is no way you’re out here like this because of me…That was ten whole years ago!” Jinyoung felt crushed at the thought. Did Mark really never get into relationships and just sleep around with no strings attached because Jinyoung left for college.

“You don’t get it, do you? I was in love with you from when I was three till I was like thirteen, and then for a long ass time after that. For my whole life, it was always you. I wanted to marry you. We slept together, basically every single night. You were always there for me, even if your friends picked on you or I got picked on. You never cared what they thought of us. You were my constant source of light and then… Then it all stopped… You always told me we would get married that you loved me. What the fuck did you expect me to think?” Mark was yelling by the time he was done, and Jinyoung was even more thankful now that they were alone in the woods.

“Are you joking with me?? I loved you, of course, I loved you, but you were so much younger than me. I didn’t know it was serious. I thought it was just a play crush you get on people. We were so young back then Mark.” Jinyoung pleaded, taking a few steps closer to try and close the gap between them.

“I only realized what I had done the day I left. When I saw the look on your face in that park and realized I fucked up. That everything was real for you. I never.. I am so sorry, Mark, I didn’t know.” Jinyoung tried to reach out, but Mark just pulled away, shaking his head no.

“You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to come back into my life after ten years and fuck up my heart again.” Mark put his hand up to clarify that Jinyoung wasn’t allowed to take another step closer. Jinyoung remembered how fast Mark was at running and stayed put. 

“I didn’t know, Mark! You… do you not think once I figured it out, I felt instant regret?” Jinyoung narrowed his eyebrows, pushing his hair back and out of his face. 

“I think you, did you..” Mark asked, wavering for a moment before he shook his head.

“Why is that so hard for you to believe!? Mark, you were attached to me 24/7. There was nothing I kept from you. Of course, once I realized everything going on, I wanted to crawl into a hole or find some way to rewind time so things could have turned out different.” Jinyoung sighed. 

“Except for your girlfriend.” Mark reminded. It felt like a stab to the chest for Jinyoung. 

“Did you marry her? The girl you started dating in Highschool.” Mark asked, and Jinyoung sighed, nodding his head. Mark hunched over as if he felt sick to his stomach. 

“We got divorced. I told you in the club we did. Like… a month ago.” Jinyoung said, taking a cautious step towards Mark. 

“Don’t you think this means something, Mark? Almost exactly ten years later, out of all places in this whole country… you and I find each other?” Jinyoung asked, reaching out to touch Mark’s shoulder. Mark watched him for a moment before he shook his head no.

“Do not.. don’t.. this isn’t fair. This is not fated, Jinyoung. Fate does not exist. We do not go from what we were… no!” Mark shoved Jinyoung away again, struggling to grasp what was going on. 

“If you aren’t at a place where you’re ready, I get it. I left you. I hurt you. I was young and dumb. You waited for me clearly, and it hurt you. I can do the same for you. Wait for you.” Jinyoung whimpered, his eyes staying on Mark. 

“I moved on. I got over you.” Mark tried, but Jinyoung only laughed. 

“Did you? Because how we got here says something different to me. The Mark that would climb in my windows at night and kiss my nose would never be blowing men in club bathrooms.” Jinyoung knew it was a jab, an unfair judgment. He regretted it the second the words left his mouth.

Mark’s jaw dropped, eyes scanning over Jinyoung’s face before he reacted. Mark smacked him hard across the cheek without a moment's hesitation. Jinyoung knew he deserved it. His hand came up to rub at the stinging he felt radiating across his cheek. 

“You do not get to preach right or wrong, Park Jinyoung. You married a woman that you didn’t even love. Neither of us is a saint, but at least I can say I don’t play with people's emotions.” Mark made clear, turning on his heels to leave. Jinyoung took a moment to gather himself and everything that was happening before he raced after Mark.

He had been too slow to him once. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

However, Mark was still fast, annoyingly so. Once out of the bushes and back on the main street, Jinyoung looked around, but Mark was nowhere. How he managed to get away so quickly was beyond Jinyoung. But he knew that he would stop at nothing to right the wrong he made ten years ago. Mark had every right to be angry, but Jinyoung owed it to their younger selves to keep his promise and help Mark not be in so much pain anymore.

Rushing back towards the club, Jinyoung had no luck inside finding Mark. He found Jackson and Mark’s friend talking in the club's corner and walked over to them. Jinyoung tapped Jackson on the shoulder to get his attention.

“Where did your date go?” Jackson asked, looking around to see if Mark was there.

“He probably left already. Mark doesn’t stick around after he’s finished.” Yugyeom said, patting Jinyoung on the shoulder.

“He left… he found out who I was, well we both found out who the other was, he got scared, and he ran away. Where would he go?” Jinyoung asked.

“Home probably, which is not my information to give to you. Mark literally never runs from trade, what could you have possibly done?” Yugyeom questioned, leaning closer so Jinyoung could hear him over the music.

“I broke his heart…Ten years ago, but he’s still holding a fucking grudge.” Jinyoung sighed, rubbing his hands over his face before he looked down.

“OH my god! You’re the guy, like literally THE guy! He never goes into too much detail, but it must have been brutal.” Yugyeom gasped, holding his hand over his chest.

“It wasn’t! It’s not like that…” Jinyoung sighed, leaning over the table to tell them the story. Everything from when they first hung out, how things were over the years. When he got to their last day, he felt so stupid. Talking about it, actually voicing everything they went through together, put everything into a rather harsh perspective for Jinyoung.

It was clear as day that things between them had never been normal, no matter how many times Jinyoung told himself that. Nobody around them seemed to care either. They all joked that one day Mark and Jinyoung would get married. Jinyoung felt like the world's biggest idiot at that moment, groaning out as he laid his head on the table and just mumbled to himself. 

Yugyeom didn’t hear Jinyoung’s mumbling and just turned to Jackson, who shrugged his shoulders. Nodding for the exit, the three of them left. It was clear Mark was not there, nor would he return. Once they were back out into the cold night air, Jinyoung could try and think more clearly.

“You’re his friend, does he come here often?” Jinyoung asked. Yugyeom chewed at his lower lip before he sighed.

“I’m only telling you this because I have never seen him stick with one man before nor care who someone was. If you matter to him and can stop him from not taking care of himself, then it’s worth a shot. He comes here to this club every Thursday, Friday, and Sunday. Saturday, you can find him a few doors down at that club there. He never goes out on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and you will never find him out on valentine's day or the 22nd of September.” Yugyeom said, almost proud he remembered all that

“Why on the 22nd of September?” Jackson asked with a strange face.

“That’s my birthday.” Jinyoung sighed, rubbing his hands over his face before he looked at his phone. It was 3 am, and now Monday. He had work in the morning, and Mark would probably be impossible to find the next few days.

Exchanging numbers with Yugyeom, Jinyoung knew that he’d need his help to find Mark again. The obsession to make things right was now in full effect as he hailed a taxi cab to take him home. Jinyoung felt a heavy weight in his chest as he thought back to what had just happened. Jinyoung remembered the look on Mark’s face when he realized who he was. It was like Mark had just seen a ghost or had just seen something he was trying very hard to forget. 

Jinyoung started thinking about all of the things they did when they were younger, how much time they spent together. Mark was young when he left for college but not young enough that he didn’t understand love. Sure at four or five years old, there is no real concept of being with someone forever, but that didn’t mean Mark didn’t understand love. But the idea of being with someone forever? That was why Jinyoung always just laughed it off. However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Mark never changed his opinion through all of the years they spent together. He was always the sweet boy that would come over and let Jinyoung vent, let Jinyoung sit there for hours and play video games if it meant he could lay between his legs and watch. Jinyoung now felt that the way Mark had seemingly been living his life was his fault.

The next few days were met with dread, and at night he found it almost impossible to get any sleep. He would just sit up at night and listen to the building's sounds. The sounds of doors opening and closing at random hours, especially the one next door to his, opening at 10:30 pm, closing at 4:00 am nearly every night. Jinyoung made up situations about what they did or what they were doing. Each night it was something new, something better and far more exciting than what he was doing. He became like a zombie shifting from one day to the next. Jinyoung needed to find Mark. He needed to talk to him again and get him to listen, or at least get Mark to hear him out. 

When Thursday afternoon rolled around, Jinyoung texted Yugyeom to make sure Mark would be out at the clubs. He got the confirmation that Yugyeom would make sure Mark went out, meaning this was his chance to talk to him. Jinyoung rushed home from work and took a long shower. Even though he had several hours until the clubs opened, he wanted to take his time getting ready. Jinyoung styles his hair, dressed nicely, then undressed because he didn’t think he needed to be so dressed up. Jinyoung then put something more casual on before deciding he hated it 5 minutes later. After the 5th time getting changed, he looked at the time and saw he would be late. Pulling out his phone as he left his apartment, he pulled out his phone to text Yugyeom.

Jinyoung: You guys are going to the same club, right?

Yugyeom: He kept saying he doesn’t want to go out, but I talked him into it. He just started getting ready. We will probably be there around 11.

Jinyoung: Just don’t mention me. I will fix this with him.

Yugyeom: Good luck, you both deserve closure on this.

The cab stopped at Jackson’s house first before they made their way back to Itaewon. Jackson asked for the whole story again on the ride over, having only heard little bits and pieces in the club. They needed a game plan anyway, so he might as well go over it all again. Telling the story again didn’t hurt any less than the first. Going over their life together and what happened in the woods had Jinyoung feeling uneasy, sick to his stomach almost. Jackson laughed that at least he got a blowjob out of it but quickly hurried to the other side of the car when Jinyoung shot him a look that could turn anything to stone.

The club was just as packed as it had been the night before. Streets filled to the brim with people ready to party. Halloween ended a day ago, but for some reason, people were still wearing costumes. Jinyoung had thought about bringing his mask, but he decided it was better left at home. He wasn’t going to hide from Mark this time. He received a text from Yugyeom that he and Mark were finally inside, but Jinyoung had better hurry. Mark already had his eyes set on someone, and Jinyoung knew damn well that Mark could not be told no when he found his trade for the evening.

It took him another 6 minutes of waiting in line to be allowed inside. Jinyoung quickly rushed down the stairs and through the hallway until he found Yugyeom. He yelled over the music, asking about where Mark was. Yugyeom scanned the room until he saw Mark over at the bar with someone. The two were smiling at each other in a way he knew meant Mark would soon make his move. Pointing in the right direction, Jinyoung moved over to where Mark was and slid between him and the other guy at the bar blocking the view so that Mark had to see him.

“Not interested.” Mark said, grabbing his drink before trying to turn to leave. Jinyoung put a hand on his wrist to stop him.

“You may not be, but I am. Dance with me.” Jinyoung said, giving Mark a stern look. Mark wavered for a moment, eyes scanning Jinyoung’s face before he sighed, yanking his arm away from Jinyoung.

“You have one song.” Mark said, letting go of the drink the man had bought for him before heading to the dance floor. Jinyoung followed after him, pushing them more off to the side so he could have more of Mark’s attention and fewer eyes on them.

“You ran away again.” Jinyoung said, his hands on Mark’s hips to keep him close. This time not in a sexual way, but only to keep Mark from dashing off.

“You didn’t catch me… again.” Mark came back, shrugging his shoulders.

“Let me make this up to you. Let me make up for everything.” Jinyoung asked, desperate to be given a chance to try. His eyes remained focused on Mark’s face, so he knew he was serious. The more Mark looked into Jinyoungs eyes, the harder he found it to stay mad, so he looked away.

“Make what up? I don’t need your sympathy fuck.” Mark rolled his eyes.

“I never said… Mark, you need to know how important you were to me, are to me. I know that I fucked up, that I was blind and would never admit what was going on between us. I hurt you. I know I hurt you, but I can fix it. I will fix it.” Jinyoung moved them back enough to get Mark pinned to the wall. He reached up to brush some of Mark’s hair from his face.

“Maybe I like it better this way, being this way.” Mark turned his head, knowing the longer he looked at Jinyoung, the more he’d want to give in. These words were everything he had wanted to hear over the years, but he didn’t know if he was ready for them now that he was finally hearing them from Jinyoung.

“What way? Because this is not you. Come on. I know time changes people, but all you used to do was dream about weddings and talked about wanting to stay home on weekends together.” Jinyoung frowned. Mark just pushed him away and huffed.

“This is me. You can’t walk back in here and pick up where we left off. You only ever saw me as some young boy with a stupid crush. I’m not ever going to be enough for you. Jinyoung, you will never actually see how in love with you I was.” Mark felt so frustrated. He’d had this conversation in his head with Jinyoung a million times but never thought he would actually be having it with him.

“I see it now. You have no fucking idea what the last few days have been like for me. How was I supposed to know back then though, Mark? We never had a serious talk about it. You literally never brought it up, like sat me down and confessed that’s how you were actually feeling. You’d been like that since day one of us knowing each other. When we were so young…” Jinyoung took a step back. Clearly, he was an idiot, but he didn’t come here to fight. He wanted to make things right.

“I didn’t think I ever needed to say it when I showed you it every fucking day. I guess it was all a game to you.” Mark let out a laugh, shaking his head as he walked off. The song was over, and he’d promised Jinyoung one song. Grabbing for his hand again, Mark quickly shook Jinyoung off. Mark put his hand up for Jinyoung to leave him alone before walking back over to the bar. Jinyoung narrowed his eyes as he watched the man hand the drink back over to Mark, who downed it without a second thought. The drink could have been spiked for all he knew, and Mark just finished it in one go. Jinyoung could feel his blood boiling with Mark’s disregard for his safety. Not wanting to watch anymore, Jinyoung made his way back to his friend, rubbing his hands over his face as he let out a frustrated sigh.

“What happened? Any luck?” Jackson asked, looking over with a worried look on his face. Yugyeom set down his beer to listen in.

“No. I don’t think there will be. Mark hates me. Well, he has every right to hate me. I should just leave him alone. I can’t make him see how much I care about him, how much I always cared about him, or how sorry I am for what happened. He’s beyond my help.” Jinyoung sighed, looking up to see both Mark and the guy had left the bar. Eyes scanning the room, neither of them was in sight. Jinyoung felt a pang of jealousy wash through him before he looked down at the floor.

“We should just get out of here. There is no point if he won't even listen.” Jackson pat Jinyoung on the shoulder, nodding his head towards the exit.

“Just give him time. I’m sure it’s such a shock to him seeing you again. In like a week or so, maybe he will be open to talking to you.” Yugyeom said, feeling bad for Jinyoung. He knew how Mark could get, but he also knew that Mark needed to deal with the pain of what happened all those years ago.

“We can just go get drunk at another bar and forget all about this. Don’t beat yourself up.” Jackson added, leading Jinyoung through the sea of people. Jinyoung didn’t look to see if he could find Mark in the crowd. He knew that he needed to put it to rest, at least for the time being.

Mark watched from the side as Jinyoung left, waiting a minute before he made his way over to Yugyeom. Letting out a low sigh, he shook his head. Yugyeom just gave Mark a stern look. One Mark had seen time and time again when he did something Yugyeom disapproved of.

“Is he gone for good?” Mark asked, turning to look back towards the doors before he looked at his friend.

“I guess. I don’t know. I don’t know why you were such a dick to him. He seemed like a nice guy. At least nice enough to want a second go with the town toy. No matter what happened between you two in the past, there is zero need to be that big of a prick.” Yugyeom sighed. Mark just rolled his eyes before he went to sit down on the stool near Yugyeom, noticing that Jinyoung had left behind his phone. How did Mark know that it was Jinyoungs? The background photo was no surprise to him. It was a photo of something scenic that most people wouldn’t give a second glance to. Jinyoung no doubt stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of walking to take the picture, mumbling to himself about how gorgeous it was with that goofy smile on his face. Something he always did. He talked to himself while he took a million pictures of random things he found artistic or beautiful.

“Go give it to him, and try not to be a dick.” Yugyeom shooed Mark away. He’d seen their other friend Bambam arrive and decided to go dance with him instead. He figured if he avoided Mark a little, he would have no choice but to run after Jinyoung.

It seemed to work.

Mark mumbled to himself as he made his way through the club, looking around the street to see if he could find where Jinyoung had gone. All he’d need to do was find the blond he was with. That should be easy, right? It took him a little while, but he finally found the blond, standing with his phone in his hand about two blocks down. Mark slid his hands into his pockets as he walked before noticing a few more people standing around. That wasn’t unusual, but it wasn’t like a club or a performer was around for people to care about. 

Pushing through the people, he got to Jackson, about to ask where Jinyoung was when he saw him. Mark’s entire world seemed to slow down. The breath was taken right out of his chest as he saw the horror unfold before him. Facedown on the pavement nearby was Jinyoung’s body. A dented car was stopped just inches away, the driver rushing out to see what happened. He started yelling about how Jinyoung had come out of nowhere, how he was so beyond sorry. Mark’s eyes went wide as he felt panic run through his body. All at once, the world started moving again, faster than it should.

“What happened!!!” Mark yelled. Jackson hung up with the emergency dispatchers before he looked to Mark. Jackson reached out and grabbed Mark by his shirt, a wave of evident anger in his eyes as he yanked Mark’s body closer.

“He was so fucking focused on why you were a prick to him, that he just walked out in the road. He didn’t fucking pay attention, just kept saying he would make it right by you, that he would make you happy. He kept saying he would fix it and boom. Is this what you wanted? Did he fucking fix it?” Jackson shoved Mark away. He knew his anger was a bit much, but his friend was lying there unconscious.

Mark brushed himself off and just rushed past Jackson to get to Jinyoung, scared to move him if he had any injuries. He just put a hand on his cheek and rubbed at it gently. His other hand pushed his hair out of his face before he checked to make sure he was still breathing.

“Come on, hey, look at me. Nyoungie, look at me. This is not how you’re allowed to go. I just got you back. You can’t fucking leave again!” Mark whimpered, tears pricking the corners of his eyes as he put his head on Jinyoung’s chest. A giant sob wracked his body as he let out a loud yell. Looking up, Mark noticed blood on his hand. Taking a closer look, Mark could see a small wet patch on the top of Jinyoung’s head, no doubt from the accident. Mark looked around, scared out of his mind, wondering where the ambulance was. He refused to move from Jinyoung’s side, just kept stroking his cheek and talking to him.

It was a few minutes before they arrived, but as soon as the ambulance got on scene, they inspected Jinyoung to make sure he was safe to move before getting him on the stretcher. Mark insisted he was the one to ride with Jinyoung in the ambulance as they were loaded up and rushed to the nearest emergency room. Of course, once they arrived, there was a slew of questions for Mark from the doctors. He was surprised he remembered so many details. Jinyoung’s birthday, his parent's names, the things he was allergic to. He didn’t know where he was living or his current phone number, but Mark said he would find out for them. Mark brought up that they grew up together and had just reunited at a club, which is how they wound up there. Mark let them know that Jinyoung’s family was still in Busan and that it would be okay to list him as the emergency contact. He didn’t need to give more details than that.

Jinyoung was quickly taken in for surgery, and after a few hours, he was released into a regular patient room. Mark was told that things went well in surgery, that Jinyoung had suffered a small head trauma that could mean any number of things. Mark was also informed that Jinyoung’s body's left side was pretty beat up from where he impacted with the car and might have limited use of his left side for a while. They would have to see when he woke up what damages had been done if he woke up at all. His numbers were steady for now. The only thing they could do was wait. Mark thanked them and made his way into the room, looking down at Jinyoung, hooked up to so many wires and machines. He felt himself start to cry again as he moved to the side of Jinyoung’s bed. Mark pulled up a chair, took Jinyoung’s hand in his own, and laid his head down by his leg. Silent tears fell for the better part of an hour before he felt himself drift off to sleep.

When Mark woke up, it was still dark out. Looking at the clock on the wall, it was only 3 am. Typically Mark would just be leaving the clubs by now if he hadn’t already had his fill. Suddenly the thought made him feel disgusted. He hadn’t even hooked up with the guy from the bar, but he suddenly felt guilty about even giving him attention. Sitting there with Jinyoung, Mark had so many thoughts running through his head.

Mark needed to breathe. He left for a moment to get some coffee and saw that Jackson had fallen asleep in the waiting room. Mark woke him to tell him to go home, gently nudging his side until Jackson wiped the sleep from his eyes. Mark quickly filled him in but made it clear he wouldn’t be leaving Jinyoung’s side for anything, at least not any time soon.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you. I just got so scared.” Jackson sighed, rubbing his sore neck. Mark sighed, sinking into the chair next to him.

“I get it. I’ve been scared too. This whole time... I spent years trying to hate him, blaming him for what’s been going on with me. You’d think after ten years I’d have gotten over him, but it was like the second I saw him I was 13 and in love all over again.” Mark groaned, rubbing his face with his free hand before he nursed his cup of coffee.

“I don’t know everything that happened between you two, but I’m guessing you’re the Mark from his hometown that he never shut up about. Like he talked about you all the fucking time, an annoying amount sometimes. It was clear he loved you too.” Jackson turned to look at Mark, sitting up more in his chair.

“I don’t... He didn’t.” Mark let out a laugh, setting the cup down to rest on his leg.

“He did, even if he never admitted it to himself. You were all he ever spoke about. The things you two did, the places you two went. As I said, I don’t know what happened between you two. He always said you were better off now that he was gone. Then he married that witch who wound up cheating on him with his old roommate. Thank fuck she’s gone. Just do me a favor.” Jackson said, standing up, brushing his pants off.

“If he wakes up, can you not be such a prick to him? Give the guy a break. He’s trying to say he’s sorry.” Jackson left it at that, taking his leave without another word. Mark took a moment to think before he made his way back upstairs. Luckily Jinyoung was okay. Nothing had changed while Mark was talking to Jackson. His numbers were still good. He took a seat by his side again, holding his hand and just watching him.

Hours turned into days. Mark didn’t move from his side for anything. Yugyeom had gone to his apartment to get him clothes, staying with Jinyoung while Mark used the hospital showers to clean up. Jackson came by every day to check on Jinyoung and make sure Mark was eating correctly. Mark had started a friendship with the night resident Jaebum who helped to look after Jinyoung when the daytime doctor wasn’t around. Every night they would talk about comic books and video games, things that Jinyoung liked. Mark mentioned that once Jinyoung was awake, they should all go out for beers together. Jeabum agreed that sounded fun. 

The more Mark talked about what they would do when Jinyoung woke up, the better he felt. It was like there was no option but for Jinyoung to wake up. He wasn’t allowed to be asleep forever.

The four days that Jinyoung lay there hooked up to all of those machines seemed to be the hardest. Jaebum said that if Jinyoung didn’t show signs of waking up any time soon that he might not ever, and Mark refused to believe that to be true. Once the doctors had left, Mark took his place right by his side. This time he moved off the chair and onto the bed. Mark knew where Jinyoung was injured and where his wires were, so he knew where to sit to get comfortable—watching him for a moment before he reached over to push his hair from his eyes.

“Do you remember when you were 15? There was a time I slept in your bed every night for a month. A whole month. You would fall asleep first every single night, and I would just watch you. Make sure you were safe. I would kiss your nose before I went to sleep, and you’d do this scrunch with it every time... I don’t know why I loved it so much. You kept asking me why it stopped sleeping over, and I didn’t know how to tell you it was because I came earlier and saw her, that woman, in your bed. Those stupid private school boys had bullied me again at the bus stop, so I ran right home to your window. I saw you and that girl kissing, and well, I didn’t know what to do. I had my mom tell you I was sick or something. I guess I’ve never really known how to handle my emotions when they came to you. I never knew how just to tell you that I loved you, that I wanted to be more than whatever we were. I had thought if I did, then everything would stop. I guess I expected you to get it all on your own and realize that you were in love with me too. This situation between us is just as much my fault. I’m sorry I never came clean the day I saw you with her… I should have. That was the day I should have told you everything.” Mark let out a choked sob, trying to laugh it off, pushing the tears from his eyes as he bent down to kiss Jinyoung’s knuckles, rubbing his cheek against his hand.

“Things were different between us after that. I still loved you, but she was around more. You started locking your window. You would go to the movies without me. Then you were moving and didn’t tell me till what? A week before you were supposed to leave for college? I never got to tell you this, but I followed the car to Busan station that day. Rode my bike the whole way there to try and say goodbye before you got on the KTX. I just missed you. I wanted to say I was sorry for how I acted and finally tell you everything. I thought maybe telling you meant you would stay? Stupid, I know.” Mark sighed, leaning up to kiss Jinyoung’s nose. Keeping his face close to Jinyoung’s, he silently cried.

“Please come back to me, Nyoungie.” Mark whispered, pushing his face into Jinyoung’s neck.

Maybe it was what he’d had done that did the trick, but moments later, Jinyoung’s fingers started to twitch. Mark jumped back some to get a good look as Jinyoung’s fingers wiggled around. Mark wiped at his tears before he quickly hit the button right away for a nurse, talking through the intercom that Jinyoung was starting to wake up.

Seconds later, doctors and nurses rushed inside, Mark was asked to wait outside, but he refused. He would stand to the side, out of their way, but he needed to be there with them. Jinyoung’s eyes opened shortly after, and by the end of the hour, he had his breathing tube removed and was somewhat sitting up. Jaebum stayed behind to finish the rest of the tests, recording the data on the charts before he put the clipboard back at the end of the bed. After a while, Mark moved from the corner to stand by the bed, taking Jinyoung’s hand in his own again, giving it a soft squeeze.

“You got lucky, so far everything seems to be okay. Jinyoung has slow reflexes with his right hand, and as of now, his left side is almost unresponsive. His left leg is exhibiting the same immobility, but he will recover with physical therapy and rest. We will bring you guys some freshwater and crackers for him.” Jaebum smiled, taking his leave. Jinyoung looked down at their hands before he looked back up at Mark.

“What happened? How did I get here?” Jinyoung questioned, his mind racing as he tried to sit up more. Mark was quick to help with the bed, getting Jinyoung’s back and head supported.

“You were hit by a car; someone didn’t look when he was crossing the road.” Mark frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“A car. But wait, why are… What are you doing here?” Jinyoung asked, a confused look coming to his face as he looked up at Mark.

“You left your phone at the table. I was running out to give it to you when you’d been hit. I came with you here. Nobody knows you’re allergic to pomegranate and... I had to make sure you were okay.” Mark frowned, sitting on the edge of the bed again.

“Were you scared they were going to give me an IV of pomegranate juice?” Jinyoung teased, giggling to himself.

“Shut up! It could be the juice they provided you with.” Mark scoffed, looking over as the water was delivered. Mark smiled at the attendant and took the cup from him. He carefully got up and helped Jinyoung take a sip of water.

“Thank’s Youngjae, you can set the rest down there.” Mark nodded to the table, the night nurse Youngjae nodded his head and set the tray of snacks down.

“I’m happy that your boyfriend woke up. Mark thought you were going to be a vegetable for the rest of your life. He hasn’t left this room in 4 days.” Youngjae laughed, sliding the tray closer to the bed. Mark just gave him a look before shooing him out of the room.

“Four days… I was out for, holy shit. Hold up, boyfriend?” Jinyoung raised an eyebrow, Mark just brushed it off, making Jinyoung sip from the water cup again.

“I needed a way to stay in here, shut up. I made friends. Once you’re out of here, we’re going for beers with them. Those kind nurses cleaned your dirty stuff up.” Mark said. Jinyoung just smirked.

“I’m surprised you stayed so long.” Jinyoung said, pushing the cup down away from his face. Mark just shrugged.

“How can I tell you how much I hate you when you’re in a coma? If you weren’t stalking me in that club, none of this would have ever happened. I had to stay to make sure you were awake so you’d finally get it that I’m not looking to be hurt again.” Mark said, Jinyoung just nodded his head before he sighed, looking towards the window. Mark felt an instant regret as soon as he finished talking, looking down at his feet to avoid Jinyoung’s eyes.

It was nice while it lasted.

“Well, don’t let me keep you then. I’ve done enough shit to you. You don’t owe me anything.” Jinyoung’s voice was far, distant like he was lost in his thoughts. Mark felt terrible. He’d promised Jackson he wouldn’t be a little shit when Jinyoung finally woke up.

“Jinyoung I-”

“It’s okay, just go. I get it, loud and clear. Ruined your life, fucked up your ability to love, the be all end all monster that I am. I get it, Mark. Don’t let me keep ruining your life, who knows how many guys you’ve missed out on waiting for me to wake up.” Jinyoung kept looking away. He was having a hard time pulling his hand from Mark’s, getting frustrated that his arm wasn’t working correctly. Jinyoung moved his hand with his other hand so that it was lying in his lap.

Mark looked down at the ground. He didn’t mean to be so rude to Jinyoung when he woke up. Mark was well aware that Jinyoung knew he was hurt. Did he have to keep this up? Sighing, Mark decided to give him some space. He just grabbed his jacket and slid it on, heading out without another word. No sooner did the door shut behind him did Mark feel himself start to cry again. Why was he even crying? Mark was right in being mad. At least that’s what he kept telling himself the entire taxi ride home. That he didn’t need to be in the hospital with Jinyoung, that he made it loud and clear that he was hurt and that he was over Jinyoung.

He had to be, right?

His apartment felt strange, cold. It no longer felt like a relaxing oasis for him. How could he relax when Jinyoung was all alone in a hospital, having gotten into a car accident because of him. Mark tried to shower without crying, tried to clean up his living room, even tried to cook himself something to eat. It just wound up with him throwing the pot of noodles at his wall before he sank to the floor, crying again. His hands pushed through his hair.

Jinyoung expected that Mark would leave, but he was curious as to why he stayed so long. Looking up as the doctors came back in, Jinyoung did his best to smile, wiping at his eyes before he fixed his hair.

“Hello, Mr. Park. We’re just checking in with you. Did your boyfriend leave?” Jaebum asked, looking around the room. Jinyoung looked confused. Why was everyone calling Mark his boyfriend?

“I don’t know where he went.” Jinyoung sighed.

“He wouldn’t leave this room for days, stayed right here holding your hand day in and day out. It was almost as if he thought you wouldn’t make it if he went further than the bathroom.” Jaebum smiled, moving to run some tests on Jinyoung’s left hand and foot. Jinyoung just sat there quietly, thinking about everything going on and what the man said. The words that came out of Mark’s mouth did not match his actions, but if that were the case, then why did he leave so quickly?

“You’re fortunate to have someone like him. It also looks like your left side is doing a little bit better already.” Jaebum praised, asking Jinyoung to move it and bend it the best he could so he could gauge the level of physical therapy that Jinyoung would most likely need. He helped Jinyoung to his feet to see how his leg was doing.

Jinyoung could tell it was stiff and that he was unable to walk unassisted. He couldn’t put pressure on the left side for more than 5 seconds without feeling a sharp pain. Regardless of his current physical state, he was determined to push through the pain. No excuses. He would not leave the hospital with limited use to one side of his body.

Jaebum helped ease Jinyoung back onto the bed, fixing the covers for him before he brought the tray closer to the bed to reach it. The tray had his phone, water, a package of his favorite potato chips, and a few comic books. Picking up the comic books, Jinyoung raised an eyebrow as he flipped through the pages.

“What are these?” Jinyoung asked. Jaebum looked over and smiled.

“Your boyfriend thought you would want to read them. He said you don’t like to watch television and love to read. He had a friend of his grab them, blond guy. Figured you’d want them for when you woke up if you got bored.” Jaebum said before taking his leave. Jinyoung looked down at the graphic novels and sighed. Setting them back down, he pushed the cart away from him and tried to get some rest.

The next day Jinyoung started physical therapy. It was hard for him, but he pushed through as much as he could. He spent the afternoon sleeping, then took a short walk in the evening with Jackson's help. Jinyoung hated the idea that he had to rely on someone to get things done, but he knew that none of this was the fault of anyone but himself. Had he been more cautious and kept his emotions to himself, he wouldn't be in this position.

That night Jinyoung watched the door, desperate for Mark to walk back through. However, after a few hours, he knew that would never happen. The next day Jinyoung woke up and followed the same routine laid out by his doctors. Day after day after day for the following week, he pushed himself to get better, and every night he watched the door until he got fed up and decided to sleep. 

Maybe tomorrow, Jinyoung would tell himself. Maybe Mark would come to be with him tomorrow.

Even though it was a Wednesday, Mark was getting ready to go out and party. Wednesdays were typically his off days since there weren’t even any fun events on Wednesdays. However, this Wednesday, he needed to clear his mind. Clubbing was the best way, right? Mark could spend his night grinding up on some stranger that didn’t care about him giving him a temporary release from the hell his mind was putting him through.

He got to the club around his usual time, texting his friends to make sure they were there. Even Yugyeom asked why he was going out on a Wednesday, but who was he to argue with the promise of a good time. When Mark finally arrived, Yugyeom and Bambam stayed around the small table with him, enjoying their beers as the music thumped around them. 

Typically Mark would go and parade around the dance floor, but it seemed tonight he had other plans. Nobody in the bar interested him, and whoever the DJ was didn’t seem to have a playlist that inspired Mark to dance. By the 3rd beer, Mark felt worse than he had before he came out. He was mumbling to himself about how the night was a total waste of time.

“Anyone catch your eye?” Bambam asked, smirking to himself as he locked eyes with a pink-haired girl at the bar. She seemed to be just his type, which might make being out on a Wednesday night not the worst idea.

“He’s probably had almost everyone in here.” Yugyeom laughed, finishing the rest of his beer.

“Or are you busy thinking about Jinyoung? That reminds me it’s almost 12. What are you still doing here?” Yugyeom asked before he sent Bambam over to get more beers. Anything to get him to talk to the girl, he kept eyeing up.

“I’m not thinking about Jinyoung. Why would I be? He’s probably fine that I’m not there.” Mark scoffed, nursing his beer for a moment before he looked down at his phone.

“That’s not what his friend Jackson said. He heard Jinyoung asking for you when he was taking a nap yesterday. Called right out to you in his sleep, wasn’t the first time either.” Yugyeom gave Mark that knowing look before he got up to take his leave. Mark sighed, checking his watch before he took off.

Did he go to the hospital every night at 12 and sit outside of Jinyoung’s room, making sure he was okay? Yeah. It wasn’t anyone's business why he did it. He just did. He’d always bring new graphic novels for Jinyoung to read, and Jaebum would always tell Jinyoung they were his, not Mark’s. Tonight he got to the room and peaked in the window. Jinyoung and Jackson were still up talking. Mark sighed, taking his seat outside of the room where he would typically wait for Jinyoung to fall asleep. Jackson came out a half-hour later and looked at Mark, crossing his arms over his chest as the door shut behind him.

“He’s being discharged in the morning. I thought you’d want to know so that you don’t come here tomorrow looking for him.” Jackson didn’t give Mark time to answer. He just adjusted his bag so that it rested over his shoulders and took his leave. 

Mark watched the door for an hour before he got up, carefully going inside as he did every night when he was sure Jinyoung was asleep. Walking inside the room, he carefully shut the books that Jinyoung had been reading and set them down on the table. Next, he moved closer to Jinyoung, pulling the covers up over his shoulder more before he made sure his feet were tucked under. Mark took a seat next to the bed and just watched him for a while. Made sure he was breathing, made sure he was okay. When it got late, and Mark decided to head home, Mark walked over to the bed one last time. His fingers carefully pushed Jinyoung’s hair from his face before he bent down and kissed his nose.

“Night Nyoungie.” Mark whispered, turning to take his leave. His hand had just reached the door when he heard a raspy voice behind him.

“15… I was 15 the last time you did that.” Jinyoung said, his voice was weak and sleepy. Rolling over some to lay on his back, Jinyoung looked over at Mark trying to sneak out and sighed.

“You should be resting.” Mark turned, observing Jinyoung before he moved closer to the bed.

“You slept in my bed for a whole month, and every night I pretended to be asleep before you so you’d kiss my nose and tell me goodnight. I don’t know why I loved it so much, but I did. I remember you stopped… stopped coming over. Your mom confessed to me I had broken your heart, but I didn’t get it. I didn’t want to get it. I couldn’t sleep for like two weeks after that. It was so weird not having you in bed with me, not having you kiss my nose goodnight, and remind me that I would always be yours.” Jinyoung sighed, looking away from Mark and out of the window instead. 

“I saw you in bed with that girl. I didn’t… I came to visit you one day, and your window was locked. I saw you and her in your bed. I told my mom to tell you I was sick, but I guess she didn’t listen.” Mark sighed, looking down at the floor.

“I know it means nothing to you, but you were always more important to me than she ever was. She hated that. How I always picked you first, stayed with you more, did more things with you. I’m just sorry it took me this long to realize everything I did was because I was in love with you. I was just too fucking scared to admit it to myself, so I tried to be with her to get over it.” Jinyoung licked over his lips, pulling the covers up more before he wiped his face.

“I get why you hate me… I'd hate me too.” Jinyoung added, finally looking over to Mark.

Mark took a moment, thought to himself. His heart felt like it was beating so fast that it would burst out of his chest at Jinyoung’s words. After another silent moment, Mark rushed onto the bed, careful of Jinyoung’s healing leg, as he crawled on top of him. There was finally no hesitation, no second-guessing. Mark just straddled Jinyoung’s body and gripped the sides of his face. Mark leaned his body down and pressed his lips to Jinyoung’s own, whimpering against Jinyoung’s lips as he kissed him deeply. Jinyoung was shocked by it at first but kissed Mark back. Needy for this nightmare to be over. His hands wrapped around him the best they could to pull Mark down on the bed with him. He got them onto his good side, tangling his body with Mark’s own, blankets were forgotten at the foot of the bed in their hasty shuffle. Jinyoung had no idea how long they were kissing for, pulling his head back when the need for air became too great to ignore. The two sat there in silence, just looking deep into each other's eyes as they allowed their lungs to get back to normal.

“Did you ever love her?” Mark asked, eyes focused on Jinyoung’s own. Jinyoung reached up to cup Mark’s cheeks in his hands.

“No. I truly was never in love with her.” Jinyoung stated, very matter of factly.

Mark whimpered, looking down as he let out a loud sob, his head pushing into Jiyoung’s neck. Jinyoung wrapped his arms around Mark to draw him closer, letting him get it all out.

“I wanted to keep hating you, I’ve been so angry for so long.” Mark whimpered, gripping tighter at Jinyoung’s body.

“I know, and you had every right to be mad.” Jinyoung assured, allowing Mark to get his emotions out.

“I became someone I hate, someone I never wanted to be. Then you came back into my life, and in a second, I fell in love all over again. I felt such regret for how I’d been living my life in the last few years. I don’t know why you have such a strong hold over me.” Mark confessed. Jinyoung could feel his shirt start to grow wet from where Mark had started to cry. He just stayed there and let him get it out, refusing to let go of him.

“I don’t want you to be that person anymore. You deserve so much more. I want you to let me show you, let me make up for making the biggest mistake of my life.” Jinyoung felt tears pool in the corners of his eyes, pushing his face down into Mark’s as he peppered the top of Mark’s head with kisses.

“I realized when I saw you on the ground that I wasn’t mad that I didn’t hate you. I didn’t know how to admit that I had been using what happened to justify my actions. It was easier to say I hated you instead of admitting I never really dealt with you leaving. I never dealt with my emotions and the regret I had never telling you how much I loved you.” Mark sighed, pulling his head up so he could get a good look at Jinyoung.

“You never should have been in this hospital. I should never have been such a brat to you.”

“We need to forget the past. Forget what happened, forget who left who. This moment right here, in this bed, is our new fresh start, yeah? Just you and I, how it always was, how it was always meant to be.” Jinyoung stroked Mark’s cheek, getting his fingers down and under his chin to pull him up for a kiss.

“I missed you so much, Nyoungie.”

“I missed you too.”

__________________________________________________________________

The morning was a somewhat awkward situation for Jinyoung. The doctors came in the room in the morning to see him and Mark curled up close in the bed. Jaebum could only laugh at the sight as he went to wake the two of them up. A startled Mark nearly fell out of the bed as he scrambled to get to his feet and act as if he hadn’t just spent the night wrapped up in Jinyoung’s arms. Jinyoung just groaned at the sudden movement and sat up, rubbing his tired eyes. The brightness from the room helped him quickly wake up, spotting Mark trying to tidy himself up. Jinyoung could only laugh, biting at his lower lip before his attention turned to the doctors.

“Good morning love birds, today’s the big day.” Jaebum smirked, setting down the medication Jinyoung needed to take, filling up a glass of water for him to make them easier to take. Mark moved around to the other side of the bed and fixed Jinyoung’s covers, blushing at the state of himself.

“Jinyoung, you’ve managed to regain movement in about 92% of your left side, your leg is taking longer to recover, but as you know, that’s where the majority of the impact was. If you keep up your physical therapy for the next three months, you should be 100% better. Mark, please make sure he’s taking it easy and not doing any heavy lifting. Also, please make sure he shows up to physical therapy.” Jaebum smirked. Mark nodded his head with a soft smile on his face before he watched the doctor leave.

Youngjae came in a few moments later to say goodbye, reminding them that they were all still on for drinks towards the end of the week now that Jinyoung was out. Jinyoung was confused, turning to look at Mark, who just assured Jinyoung he would explain later.

For the most part, Jinyoung could manage on his own. His side was still sore, and his fingers didn't react as quickly as he would like them to, but he’d made significant progress since he had woken up. Mark, however, made it seem like Jinyoung was inches away from death still. He had to wait for a wheelchair and wound up yelling at Youngjae that he was going too fast with it. Mark took over, pushing Jinyoung and leading the two of them down to the waiting taxi. The taxi took them to the address Mark had given him. Jinyoung raised an eyebrow when the car started moving—looking out of the window for a while before he turned back to Mark.

“Where are we going?” Jinyoung asked, moving how he was sitting to put less pressure on his hip.

“Back to my place so I can keep an eye on you. Don’t, no, don’t argue that with me, okay?” Mark asked, Jinyoung just nodded his head and smirked. He was too tired to fight it anyway. Just the trip down to the taxi had him feeling like he needed a nap. Leaning over to put his head on Mark’s shoulder, Jinyoung started to doze off. Mark just smiled, kissing his nose before he looked out of the window. He noticed several minutes later that Jinyoung had fallen asleep. Mark kept him close, safe, asking the driver to turn down his radio so Jinyoung could rest. By the time they were pulling up in front of the building, Mark felt like he could use a nap himself.

“Hey, wake up. We’re here.” Mark said, carefully nudging Jinyoung awake. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Jinyoung climbed out of the cab and stretched his arms up before yawning. He watched Mark grab for the bag of stuff from the hospital he had been given before moving through the building's lobby and into the elevator.

Jinyoung raised an eyebrow, looking around him some as the elevator climbed up to the 18th floor. Scratching at his head as he waited to see if the elevator took him where he thought it would. Once they were out onto the main floor, Jinyoung couldn’t believe his eyes. Walking to the end of the hallway with Mark, Jinyoung laughed to himself as Mark typed in the apartment's code.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Jinyoung said, looking around the hallway before his attention turned to Mark. Jinyoung just started laughing harder.

“What’s so funny?” Mark asked, looking back at Jinyoung as he pushed his front door open.

“This.” Jinyoung said, moving to the door next to Mark’s. He typed in his apartment code and unlocked the door, shaking his head some as he looked inside his apartment before he looked over to Mark.

“You’re the? No fucking way… Are you the new guy that moved in next door?” Mark asked, eyes wide at the realization.

“And you’re the man who’s out at ten every night, and home by 3 am… I can hear your door opening and closing every night.” Jinyoung smirked. Mark shut the door to his apartment and walked next to where Jinyoung was. Jinyoung let both of them in before the door shut behind them.

“You were listening to me?” Mark raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Jinyoung.

“Hard not to, I never saw your face.” Jinyoung laughed, sliding into his house slippers before he walked closer to Mark.

“Well, this is good. I want you closer to me so I can keep an eye on you.” Mark said, licking over his lips as he wrapped his arms around Jinyoung’s neck, keeping their faces close together.

“Are you going to be over all the time then? I guess I should just tell you to code to save myself having to get up all the time.” Jinyoung pretended to be annoyed, but it was clear he was not annoyed at all.

“Why would I ever want to come over here once you’re all better?” Mark cocked his head to the side, challenging Jinyoung already.

“Because you said so yourself in the woods that you want more of me, need I remind you… neither of us finished that day.” Jinyoung knew it was brave, but he had just gotten out of the hospital and felt rather brave. He would test his limits while he was still too injured for Mark to fight back.

“I can’t believe I sucked your dick, like you, of all people, ten years after that big dramatic goodbye under the slide. Without even knowing it was you, I just gravitate towards it.” Mark scoffed, Jinyoung was a bit shocked at what he was hearing. Funny how he didn’t care in the woods, but now knowing it was Mark made it so weird for some reason. 

“Hearing you talk about sucking dick is weird… Don’t get me wrong. I can easily testify now that your mouth can work wonders. It’s just going to take some getting used to.” Jinyoung laughed, heading for his little kitchen area to put on some tea for the two of them. Mark made himself at home, looking around for cups while Jinyoung got out the tea bags.

“Yeah, well, I think neither of us should talk about my sex life. I don’t want to make you jealous that you’ve been stuck in domesticated hell for the last ten years while I was out partying. How do straight married people even have sex?” Mark shivered at the thought as he placed two mugs on the counter, digging through Jinyoung’s cupboards for his tea. When he saw that Jinyoung had the more traditional loose tea in an abundance of flavors, Mark could only smile. In all these years, Jinyoung didn’t change much.

“They don’t. I can honestly tell you that getting married means all of your sex stops. Unless it’s your wife with your old college roommate, in your own bed, while you’re working.” Jinyoung laughed. Shaking his head as he thought about his sad situation. Mark fell silent, chewing at his lower lip for a while before finally looking over to Jinyoung.

“Do you think… if things had gone differently between us that we would be married right now?” Mark asked, looking down at the mugs. Jinyoung walked over to turn the kettle on, turning his attention to Mark.

“Probably. You know I like the idea of marriage and just being with one person. Things between her and I were never good even when we were in High School. Never really bad, but not good. I thought if we got married, it might push her to be better, do better, but I was only kidding myself. The most fun I had was during my military service. I didn’t have to see her that often.” Jinyoung sighed, filling two strainer balls with tea before setting them in the cups. Mark poured the hot water into the cup once the kettle started to boil.

“See, this is why I tried to steal you away at such a young age, to avoid all of that.” Mark smirked, curling his body up next to Jinyoung’s own. Jinyoung just laughed, throwing his head back before he reached over and pinched Mark’s cheeks.

“No, you did not, you little shit.” Jinyoung laughed more. Mark swatted Jinyoung’s hands away, sticking his tongue out before he grabbed the sugar and his cup and made his way for the little kitchen table. Jinyoung followed with his cup and sat down across from Mark, dunking the tea strainer in and out of the water several times before reaching out to add his sugar. 

“I’m sorry for being such a dick these last few times we’ve been together. It was so much easier for me to be angry and put all the blame on one person. I know neither of us can erase the last ten years…” Mark sighed, chewing at his lower lip again. Jinyoung reached out, taking Mark’s hands in his own.

“Even if it takes another ten years, we will find a way to make it up to each other.” Jinyoung said, his voice so pure it made Mark smile. A comfort that Jinyoung always provided him with washed over him as he looked up so that his eyes could meet Jinyoung’s own.

“Does this mean my clubbing days are over?” Mark asked, smirking to himself. Jinyoung just rolled his eyes, letting go of Mark’s hand to grab his mug.

“You can club all you want, but if you come back at 3 am, you can go stay in your own apartment. Some of us have real jobs and work to do.” Jinyoung teased. Mark laughed at his words, shaking his head no before he picked up his mug.

“I have your door code now if you think I won't stumble in here at 3 am and crawl into bed with you.” Mark warned, giving Jinyoung that knowing look before he sipped his drink.

“Why am I the one being punished?” Jinyoung scoffed, dramatically rubbing at the bridge of his nose. His hand still felt a little weak, but he managed to push through. Mark just laughed, leaning across the table to kiss Jinyoung’s cheek. 

“Because you’re mine forever, right?”

“Sure, whatever you want babe.”

_________________________________________________________________

Several weeks had passed since Jinyoung was in his accident, and Mark had fallen into a new weekly schedule. He still went to the bars several times a week, but now he was working as the bartender rather than strictly there as the party boy. Much to Jinyoung’s protesting, this meant that Mark was no longer coming home around 3 am, but instead, he was puttering through the door as Jinyoung was getting ready to head to the office. They always tried to have breakfast together before Jinyoung left for the day. Sitting down together, enjoying a meal while Mark told him all about the crazy things that happened during his shift. Even if things weren’t verbally official between them, everyone treated Jinyoung like Mark’s boyfriend and respected Jinyoung when addressing Mark. Even Jackson started to warm up to Mark, heading to the bar with Jinyoung from time to time to enjoy a drink or two.

Both Mark and Jinyoung decided it was best to take things slow. Mark was the one who brought it up first, and not wanting to push Mark into anything he wasn’t ready for, Jinyoung agreed. Mark still slept over Jinyoung’s apartment every night he didn’t have work, and would often find himself in Jinyoung’s bed after he left for the office. More often than not, Jinyoung would come home and find Mark passed out in his bed. He would simply crawl under the covers with Mark and wake him up with a series of soft kisses.

Of course, there were doubts in Mark’s mind, and reminders everywhere of the life he had led before Jinyoung came back. The most awkward situations were always whenever someone Mark had hooked up with would come to the bar and started to flirt with Mark while Jinyoung was sitting right there. Of course, Mark would let them down, but they didn’t always have a positive reaction to finding out that Mark was in a relationship.

This night was a random Thursday, and Jinyoung decided to surprise Mark at the bar. Being there so often, Jinyoung didn’t have to wait in the line to get in, which he was thankful for since it was freezing at night now. Security just smiled at him and waved Jinyoung inside, ignoring the protests of the people waiting in line. Jinyoung handed his jacket into the coat check and took a few minutes to fix his hair before heading into the main club. Another perk of being the so-called bartender's boyfriend was not needing to pay the entry fee. He just waved to the girls behind the desk and made his way into the main area. Since Mark had dyed his hair, he was easy to spot, Jinyoung saw him behind the bar mixing up a round of drinks for a group of young girls that seemed more interested in him than their vodka sodas.

Walking up to the side of the bar, Jinyoung took a seat and waited for Mark to be finished. Mark looked over and smiled wide when he saw Jinyoung. Mark quickly set the bottles down to run to the end of the bar, jumping up to lean across for a kiss. Jinyoung smirked at the young girls, leaning up to kiss Mark’s lips lightly before he pushed him back down. Mark just smirked and went back to work, the girls a little less flirty, but they quickly got sidetracked when Yugyeom had come over to order a drink. 

Spotting Jinyoung, Yugyeom’s smile grew as he pushed through the girls to wrap his arms around Jinyoung, hanging over him. Jinyoung just laughed, putting his hands upon Yugyeom’s arms. The two talked amongst themselves until they saw small pieces of fruit being thrown their way. Looking up, Jinyoung noticed that Mark was the one throwing fruit, an unapproving look on his face at his friend being so close to Jinyoung.

“Are you jealous that your boyfriend loves me more than you right now?” Yugyeom asked, sticking his tongue out. Mark just stuck his tongue back out, walking over to try and swat Yugyeom away from Jinyoung. Yugyeom just kissed Jinyoung’s cheek before he pulled away to sit next to him. Mark huffed, putting his hands on his hips. Jinyoung just laughed, wiping the kiss off of his cheek.

“Can I have a beer, pouty boy?” Jinyoung asked, flashing his brightest smile at Mark. Mark just grumbled, grabbing Jinyoung’s favorite beer, removing the cap before he set it down on the counter.

“Anything else cheater?” Mark asked. Jinyoung just let out a loud laugh, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth. 

“Yes. Please don’t stay here extra late tonight. You need to sleep because we are going to lunch with Youngjae and Jaebum.” Jinyoung reminded. Mark nodded his head before looking at the clock.

“If it’s a slow night, I’ll leave the clean up to Bambam when he comes in. Did you get their engagement gift ordered?” Mark asked. Jinyoung nodded, setting his beer down. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to make sure that the gift they ordered would arrive at Youngjae and Jaebum’s apartment at some point in time tomorrow. He gave Mark the thumbs up before putting his phone away. Happy with that, Mark walked off to fill other orders, bobbing along to the music while he did so.

Jinyoung made idle talk with Yugyeom while Mark worked. The two talked casually together before Jinyoung noticed it was getting late. With Bambam now there and working, Jinyoung motioned to Mark that he would leave for the night. If Jinyoung came to visit the bar, Mark would always take his break when Jinyoung wanted to leave, walking him to the train station and waiting for his train to come before heading back. It was a slow night, so there wasn’t much to do when he returned. Leaning back against the bar, Bambam and Yugyeom turned their attention to him. Mark looked at his two friends before he blushed.

“I didn’t bring it up. I’ll talk to him about it when I get back to the apartments later.” Mark said. Yugyeom threw his hands up. Bambam just shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Why is this so hard? Hey Jinyoung, I want to be officially called your boyfriend, also let's stop being idiots and just live in this one apartment together.” Bambam said. Mark groaned, reaching up to rub his hands over his face before he looked to Yugyeom.

“Don’t look at me, Bambam is right. You were the one that told Jinyoung you just wanted to take things slow, yet all you do is complain that you wish you two just lived together and were an official couple. You already live there. Your toothbrush is at his house, not yours.” Yugyeom said. Mark knew he was right. Mark had been slowly moving his things in as the weeks went by. Jinyoung had even cleared out a few of the drawers in his dresser and made room in his closet for Mark’s things. Not that he said outright that’s what they were for, but he also didn’t say anything when Mark filled them with his things.

“I’d go now if I were you. Why do you two keep putting everything off? Leave work, go home, tell the man you love; Hey you, yeah you, you’re mine. We’re boyfriends. Also, I live here now. Boom, do you see how easy that was?” Bambam said, heading to the computer to type several things before he handed Mark a little slip of paper that had printed from their nearby printer.

“I clocked you out, go home.” Bambam said. Mark knew his friends were right. He quickly ran into the back to grab his jacket before he bolted out of the club. Deciding that the subway would take too long, Mark hailed a cab instead.

When the cab pulled up, Mark ran out of the car, heading to the elevators quickly. He knew that Jinyoung was already home, but he wanted to catch him before getting into bed. Typing in the code to the door, Mark slid his shoes off and hung up his jacket before he started walking through the apartment. Jinyoung came out of the bathroom, mid brushing his teeth, and looked at Mark with a confused face. Jinyoung looked to the nearby clock on the wall before giving Mark a gesture that questioned why he was home.

“You’re my boyfriend, officially. Right now, you and I are together.” Mark said. Jinyoung put his hand up, telling Mark to wait, heading back into the bathroom. He rinsed his mouth out and cleaned his face up before heading back out, his hands going to his hips.

“Okay, we’re boyfriends. Anything else?” Jinyoung asked, an amused smile playing across his lips. Mark nodded his head, walking closer to Jinyoung.

“I want to give up my apartment and move in, or I want us to look for a new apartment together. Either one, I don’t care.” Mark said. Jinyoung again looked around confused before he closed the gap between them.

“Did you not move in like four weeks ago?” Jinyoung asked. Mark scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I just happened to put my laundry back in your drawers after I did the laundry because I couldn’t be bothered to bring it back to my apartment.” Mark said. Jinyoung nodded his head, but the look on his face let Mark know that he wasn’t buying into that lie. 

“I’ve wanted to move closer to work. Maybe we can look at apartments next week. Is there anything else?” Jinyoung said. He reached out to pull Mark closer to his body. Willingly allowing himself to be pulled, Mark let his head rest on Jinyoung’s shoulder.

“Yes.” Mark said. He reached down and undid Jinyoung’s belt, pulling it from the belt loops in one clean motion. Jinyoung watched with an amused look on his face, cocking his head to the side. He didn’t need more from Mark to know where this was going. They had done well to take things slowly, but it seemed that tonight was the night Mark wanted to do everything all at once.

Scooping Mark up, Jinyoung walked with them back through the apartment to the bedroom. Mark busied himself kissing along Jinyoung’s neck, pulling him down on the bed with him once Jinyoung set him down. Jinyoung found a home snuggled between Mark’s legs, leaning down to press his lips to Mark’s for a deep kiss. Mark was happy to kiss back, taking his time undoing all of the buttons on Jinyoung’s dress shirt before he pushed it back off his shoulders. Jinyoung did the rest of the work tossing it to the floor, breaking from the kiss to pull Mark’s shirt up and over his head. Jinyoung threw it to the ground, letting it join his shirt before his attention returned to kissing Mark. The two tangled up in the bed together, working slowly to get each other fully undressed in ways that allowed them to keep their kiss going. 

Jinyoung only broke from the kiss once they were both completely naked so he could finish taking his boxers off. The fabric was abandoned on the floor among the sea of clothing. Mark couldn’t help but look down at Jinyoung’s body, having him fully naked felt like Christmas day for him. Jinyoung very rarely exposed his skin. Even when they were younger, Jinyoung would swim with a shirt on. Letting out a low groan of appreciation, Mark allowed his fingertips to trace along the defined curves running along with Jinyoung’s abs. When his fingers got to the predominate v shape that trailed down to his cock Mark stopped himself from exploring any further.

“So you mean to tell me that you have been hiding this body from me this whole time? This actual perfection was under all those layers this whole time?” Mark asked. Jinyoung sat upright some, looking down at his body before he let out a laugh, shrugging his shoulders. 

“You know I go to the gym.” Jinyoung said. Mark just gave him a blank stare, which made Jinyoung crack up.

“You know I go to the gym.” Mark mocked Jinyoung, rolling his eyes. He couldn’t believe how good Jinyoung looked, pushing Jinyoung off of him so that his body was laid out on the bed. 

“You are such an ass. I should refuse to sleep with you just because you hid this from me.” Mark said, sliding off the bed to start digging around Jinyoung’s bedside table. Jinyoung watched him with an amused smile, finding it endearing to him that Mark could even tease about them not having sex.

Instead of replying, Jinyoung waited for Mark to grab the lube and the condom before reaching out playfully to grab him. Jinyoung yanked Mark back down onto the bed so that he was on his back again. Jinyoung grabbed Mark by his hips, adjusting them until Mark was lying in the center of the bed. Unable to do anything but smile, enjoying Jinyoung’s impressive display of strength, Mark set the condom and the lube to the side before he reached out to pull Jinyoung down for another kiss. Jinyoung couldn’t help but giggle into the kiss, nudging Mark’s legs further apart as he grabbed for the lube. 

Mark pulled away from the kiss, watching with lust-filled eyes. Mark snaked his hand between them to grip at the base of Jinyoung’s cock, gently stroking along the length as Jinyoung lubed his fingers up. Mark’s wrist maintaining a steady rhythm until he felt the cool slick of Jinyoung’s lubed up fingers sliding along his crack and around his entrance. The sensitive rim of muscles penetrated with ease, Mark’s body already relaxed and willing to accept whatever Jinyoung had coming.

Jinyoung’s lips found a home on Mark’s neck, peppering the soft skin with a series of open-mouthed kisses as his hips rolled into Mark’s hand. His fingers were sliding in and out of Mark to open him up, keeping his motions slow, in time with Mark’s hand stroking his cock. The subtle moans that fell from Jinyoung’s mouth had Mark’s cock twitching between his legs.

Jinyoung could have dragged this out. He could have taken his sweet time going down on Mark while he continued to open him up. But after everything they went through and with how much time had already slipped by them, he had no desire to keep waiting. When he could easily fit three fingers inside Mark and felt no hesitation, Jinyoung pulled his fingers out and reached for the condom. Mark watched Jinyoung move, anxious for what was to come next. Jinyoung ripped open the package, holding out the condom for Mark. He didn’t say anything, just nodded his head down, letting Mark know it was his job to slide the condom on. 

“Isn’t this your first time with a guy?” Mark asked. Jinyoung let out a soft laugh, grabbing a pillow to put under Mark’s hips as he wrapped Mark’s legs around his waist.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” Jinyoung asked. Mark adjusted his hips before he reached between them, carefully working the condom onto Jinyoung’s length. Jinyoung looked down, watching Mark’s skilled fingers. He had to bite his lip to keep back a loud moan.

“Because you are way too good at this already.” Mark confessed. That was all Jinyoung needed to feel confident even if he was nervous about this. Not only sex with a guy for the first time, but sex with Mark of all people. Someone he had known most of his life who was such a big part of his life. 

“Don’t give me credit before I finish. The rest could be bad.” Jinyoung laughed. Mark just smirked, enjoying the playful banter between them.

It wasn’t like any of his other sexual encounters, where everything felt so impersonal and bland. Jinyoung added so much character to his life that it made Mark’s heart race. He was pulled from his thoughts when he felt Jinyoung slide himself inside. The slight burn that always came with initial entry had Mark’s eyes fluttering shut, gripping at Jinyoung’s wrists as he willed his body to relax. Once Jinyoung’s hips were pressed flush against Mark’s hips, he kept still. Jinyoung let Mark adjust around his length. He leaned down to press several soft kisses to Mark’s face, rubbing their noses together. Mark leaned up and pressed a kiss to Jinyoung’s nose.

Jinyoung felt so warm, watching Mark with a fond smile until he felt his body relax enough. The tightness around him was still almost too much, but now he could easily roll his hips without fearing that he would cum too quickly. Jinyoung’s lower half started to roll, pressing his face into Mark’s neck as he built up a steady movement. Soft moans fell from their lips, eyes rolling back in Jinyoung’s head as he let it sink in that he was there, with Mark, established boyfriends having sex for the first time. Mark must have sensed the emotions that Jinyoung was experiencing. He nudged Jinyoung’s face with his own, getting Jinyoung to look at him. Jinyoung slowed his motions, watching Mark carefully.

“I love you. I always have. It has always been you and only you. This is exactly where I was meant to be, and the only place I ever want to be from now on. With you.” Mark said. He had never felt so exposed before. He was laying everything out with Jinyoung during sex. Jinyoung just smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to Mark’s lips.

“I love you too. I will never let you get away again.” Jinyoung admitted. Mark couldn’t help but let out a choked sob, grabbing Jinyoung’s face with both of his hands to pull him down for a kiss.

Jinyoung happily kissed Mark back, pressing their bodies together as his hips picked back up the pace. Mark’s moans spilled into Jinyoung’s mouth, muffled by the motion of their tongues swirling together. When it became too much for Mark to handle both kissing and getting fucked, he pulled his head back and moaned loudly. His arms wrapped around Jinyoung’s back to keep him close. Dull nails raked small red welts down his back. Jinyoung just groaned, the sting a new turn on. He couldn’t stop himself from leaning down, bitting at Mark’s neck, leaving a series of marks trailing his collar bones and up to his pulse point.

The intensity of their motions made Jinyoung have to start thinking about other things. He refused to let this moment be over any time soon. He needed to make it clear to Mark that he was in this to stay, that Mark meant everything to him. Even if sex could be impersonal at times, Mark knew that none of the sex he’d had before this meant anything. This time with Jinyoung was what sex should have been all along. 

When Jinyoung knew he couldn’t hold out any longer, he reached between them to take Mark’s cock in his hands, stroking his length in time with his thrusts. Mark’s moans grew louder, head pressed against the pillow as his body arched into Jinyoung’s stimulation. It didn’t take Mark long to cum, gasping out as his orgasm ripped through his body. Painting his chest and Jinyoung’s hand with his sticky mess. The tightness from his orgasm coaxed Jinyoung over the edge, his orgasm quickly following as his thrusts became messy, spilling everything into the condom. Jinyoung rode his orgasm out until both of them were thoroughly sated. Jinyoung sat upright, breathing labored as he started to calm down. 

Mark reached out for his hand, pulling it to his lips as he licked the cum from Jinyoung’s fingers. Jinyoung groaned at the sight, eyes trained on Mark’s mouth as he licked off every last drop. When Mark finished, he pressed soft kisses to Jinyoung’s fingertips. Jinyoung just smirked, waiting for Mark to let his hand go before he reached between his legs, gripping the base of his cock to pull out carefully. Jinyoung tied the condom up once it was off, tossing it into a nearby trash bin. He reached for one of their shirts, using it to clean Mark up a little more before throwing it back onto the ground. Mark just laughed, pulling Jinyoung closer once he was wiped up. Jinyoung happily curled up with Mark, letting their legs tangle together as he pushed his head into Mark’s neck. 

“I hope you know that now that I’ve seen you naked, I expect you to be shirtless a lot more around this house.” Mark said, breaking the silence. Jinyoung couldn’t help but laugh. A soft blush covered his cheeks as he looked up to see Mark’s face. How serious he looked made Jinyoung just laugh more.

“I’m serious. You think I can just learn that you’re actually ripped and expect your collection of oversized shirts to be allowed in this house anymore? I think not. I want tight tee-shirts or no shirts. Unless we’re out, then I want full sweaters. Nobody can know about this but me.” Mark added, laughing himself by the time he was finished talking. Jinyoung couldn’t stop the wide smile, enjoying how happy Mark looked.

“Alright, alright, I’ll keep it hidden from everyone but you.” Jinyoung promised, holding up his pinky finger. Mark laced his pinky with Jinyoung’s, kissing at his hand. Jinyoung followed, kissing his hand to seal the promise before he leaned in to kiss Mark’s lips lightly.

“You know we’re going to have to tell our family eventually, right?” Jinyoung said. Mark made a face at the thought.

“See, that’s a problem. Because she thinks I hate you. I have to somehow explain all of this to her. That’s a lot of talking I am not ready to do.” Mark laughed. Jinyoung just rolled his eyes, pulling the covers up and over their body. Mark reached out for the light, turning it off before he snuggled up close to Jinyoung’s side.

“Well, I guess it can wait. Just hopefully not another ten years.”


End file.
